Mumsnet users share their holiday experiences in France with Brittany Ferries

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is closed

Travelling by ferry can be a much more hassle free way to go on holiday with the family...as let’s be honest a 20kg per person limit on luggage is almost impossible when you have little ones. Brittany Ferries allows you to both travel by ferry and holiday in France and they would love you to share your top holiday experiences of travelling to France.

Here is what Brittany Ferries have to say “If having young children has put you off taking a holiday abroad, then think again, think family-friendly France. Sailing from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth we offer more choice of sailings than anyone else and our on-board service is designed with little ones in mind. What’s more, we can also arrange your holiday accommodation too. Our choice of sail & stay holidays are perfect for young families with a chalet camping holiday offering fun for all with lots to see and do both on and off site. And, as all our holidays include return sailings with your car, booking that all important family holiday is simple too.”

Where did you go in France? What did you enjoy most about your holiday there? How was your family’s experience on the ferry? What are your top tips for packing for a family holiday?

Share your dream destinations and holiday by ferry experiences on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

definitely an over night sailing!

Eurocamp s and most French campsites are amazing, clean and lots to do. take snacks and drinks for the drive down and you can get a lovely lunch from most service stations

We've been camping in France several times and always take the ferry...it's part of the adventure (plus you can take loads of camping gubbins with you!)

Looking forward to taking the toddler for the first time this year. She'll love looking out from the boat, the kiddies entertainment, the space to totter around. And waking up in a tent to the sound of birds with some fresh bread waiting and maybe some animals to play with...
Or a gorgeous rainbow across the Pyrenees to see from the tent door after a cosy night snuggling down to the sound of raindrops.

Top tips for ferry/campers while pregnant: get an outside cabin with a view if you're feeling sick. And they have lots of flavours of non-alcoholic beers in French supermarkets...grapefruit is ace! Oh, and take a car with a working boot and more than two working doors so that you don't have to haul your whale sized bulk across the back seats every time you want to get the tent out

the loire valley is sublime and id go back there everytime or in an around the central region always comes up trumps and it beautiful scenery.
the ferrys were good although the food was a bit hit and miss depending on how quickly you got out ur car and managed to get I nthe queue!
id always says Its easier to pack when you have your own car.always pack a pillow!remember how often you change your outfit at home.its probably even less when away,we tended to live in a few items.make a list and tick off as you go.think of the thing you wouldn't get in france that you need from here.
take your first meal.be it a packet of pata and sauce.it take so much pressure off the first night especially if your camping.
have your own rucksack with book and essentials to you even if you share a suitcase.
travel at lunchtime so you can get over the other side and have that first French stick and meat stop as soon as your over,find somewhere to park up and enjoy the new beautiful air of france and their food.lush

We love sailing Portsmouth - Caen during the day and booking a cabin with a porthole. The kids can play and we can take it in turns to sleep, then the onward drive is shorter than if we’d done Dover to Calais. We’ve had good holidays in the vendee and near angouleme.

I've fond memories as a child getting the ferry to France, we watched a film on board and it was so exciting for us all. I definitely think getting a cabin is great so kids have somewhere to bed down and catch some needed rest.

I remember going on a school trip to Bologne, France on.the ferry - it was fab! Very short but sweet!!
The ferry was convenient and easy, the crossing over was lovely seeing the views etc.
Not done it with children yet but maybe one day.

I can't wait for our ferry this year. We're traveling Poole - cherbourg going then caen - Portsmouth coming back. I do like to be able to compare

We have been to the South of France, The Alps, The Vendee, The Ardeche, Normandy and Brittany. We’ve also driven to Italy and Switzerland, through France. Last year we spent 10 wonderful days in The Dordogne region, after a stay in Paris, en route, then back to Carnac for a further week. We took our caravan over on the ferry.

Loved swimming in the lake at our Dordogne campsite, cycling through the lanes, and listening to the crickets chirruping at night. In Brittany, a highlight was eating fresh sardines and drinking local rose, on the beach at Port Maria. This Easter we will drive to The Alps for a skiing holiday and we will be able to fit in our own skis and boots. It’s so much cheaper than flying four people, plus gear out- and we get to stop somewhere nice each way.

We always travel by ferry and have a routine we follow- eat first, then check out the duty free shop .

Top tip for packing- we use stackable boxes in the boot of our estate. Travelling with your own car is really convenient!

The overnight crossing from Plymouth to Roscoff were, for 6 years, an integral part of our Brittany holidays. The one year we did a daytime crossing, the dc were gutted as they love the overnight crossings so much. We've always booked through Brittany Ferries and the holidays have been great value. We have got used to the benefits of ferry holidays i.e. having the car for easy getting around and being able to take all our kit, body boards and all.

Love, love, love our ferry holidays. This year we're trying Northern Spain, can't wait.

Just read back and didn't answer the questions, got a bit carried away! We holidayed in Brittany, south west of Quimper, beautiful and peaceful. Our experience on ferries has been great, only one rough crossing. Great for the whole family, entertainment for younger children and families. Now they're older they can wander around independently rather than being cooped up on a plane. No top tips for packing, having your car just makes things so much easier.

We regularly used to do Dover to Calais as we'd drive to the alps or south of France, I have fond memories of cooked breakfast on he ferry with my dad and brother while my mum sipped tea! (She didn't like the ferry much!)

Had a fantastic extra long weekend in St Malo at a wedding. Only took our bikes and panniers (although one of the other wedding guests took our case with dh's kilt outfit in it ), so wheeled the bikes on, locked them up and went and to our cabin.

Lovely relaxed evening on the boat with our friends before retiring to the cabin and waking up refreshed as we sailed into St Malo.

Breakfast in St Malo before cycling out to our gite.

Our best day was the cycle ride to Mont St Michel. Because it was early October, we could cycle across the causeway. Coming back we discovered more of the wee raised cycle paths to make it an easier trip.

Brittany is brilliant for cycling: good roads (not too many potholes ) and courteous cars. We'd love to go back with our ds, who is also a keen cyclist (but unfortunately the wedding was during his term time).

Used to go by ferry to France as a child on our annual summer camping holiday. It was the highlight of the year and very exciting. I loved going on the ferry. Driving on, having the car secured and then making our way up on deck was so memorable, as it meant the start of two weeks of fun.

Where did you go in France? Brittany, Normandy, Jura, Ardeche, Provence, Paris, Dordogne.

What did you enjoy most about your holiday there? Sunshine, the feeling of not being in the UK, the different food, different shops etc

How was your family’s experience on the ferry? Always fine, never had any issues.

What are your top tips for packing for a family holiday? Unless you are going to Mongolia, most places in Europe have similar stuff to what we have in the UK, so if you forget anything you can nearly always find similar abroad.

Share your dream destinations - I'd love to go to the Languedoc Rousillion part of France as I don't think I've ever been to that bit and it looks beautiful.

I have been to lots of places in France when I was younger and we nearly always went Dover-Calais and I yearned to do the long crossing so I did not have to sit for hours in the car. When we finally did it was to go to Brittany where the food was amazing. I could live off pancakes and Brittany being the home of the crepe was amazing. It was lovely for sightseeing too. Our experience on the ferry was great once the rest of our party screeched into port at the last minute and got loaded amongst all the lorries! Its great being able to wander around shop etc.

I like the top tip on packing one case for everyone on the ferry overnight and I would love to see DD's face at staying in a cabin! My top tip would be to take some travel games to play when you've found some seats with an outside view.

The last time I did a long crossing it was from Portsmouth to Normandy and we had amazing steak and frites in the cafeteria on board Brittany Ferries 10 years ago, it was like a taste of France!

We have loved our holidays in Brittany. While DD is little we haven't want ed to spend long in the car. But as she gets older and more tolerant of longer journeys we plan to explore the south of France more.
Travelling by ferry is so exciting and to me feels like part of the holiday, not just a way to get to the holiday.

Look at all the possible crossing options to find the best one for you for us it was the timing of the crossing to France that made it the best choice. Enjoy the wonders of the French supermarket. We camp and by taking the ferry to get there we can take all of our stuff with us.

I like the convenience of being able to pack the car with everything we need when travelling by ferry. The last time we went by ferry we went to Normandy and had a lovely time exploring the history and also relaxing in the lovely small towns

We used to holiday in Brittany when I was a child and we stayed near Concarneau. For some reason we crossed from, I think, Folkestone; arriving in Normandy and travelling south over 2/3 days by car.

This year I’m going back to Brittany with Dh and my 2 sons (3 and 6 months), as well as my parents, sister, BIL and 2 nephews - for the first time in 25 years! We’re doing Portsmouth to St Malo to limit time in the car because all 4 dc will be 3 or under.

I’m so looking forward to making memories with my whole family together, and showing dh and the boys places I used to go as a child.

It is fab to be able to pop everything in the car that you will need and head off! We loved the ferry trip - treated it as part of the holiday!
Top tips -
Make sure you have a European Sat Nav
Pack plenty of snacks and activities for the journey
Have medicine handy (and plastic carrier bags) in case one of them is sick
We did a stop over on the way back to break up the journey which worked well

We have travelled on the Portsmouth ferry and the dover to Calais ferry. We loved Britanny - great for the kids to try out some basic French and enjoy experiencing new sights!

I've been to France almost every summer for almost my entire life. I particularly love Brittany and Languedoc and what I find most fascinating in France is how the food changes from region to region, which is very different in the UK.

The ferry- I've always loved travelling by ferry, so civilised! And I love the mini bottles of red wine on Brittany Ferries. I also like browsing the perfumes and the chocolate. A cabin is a must, even on a day crossing (when they are a bargain!).

Packing - keep swimsuits and towels handy in the car so you can go for a swim as soon as you reach your destination. That is almost a family rule for us.

Oh and it's also a law that you must have moules at some stage and bring back lots of alcohol and chocolate!

My favourite holiday to France was two weeks camping in Beg Meil. The sun shone continuously, the beach was like a little paradise cove and we ate Moules Frites almost every day. I so look forwards to taking my children one day.

Rouen is beautiful. It's not far to drive from the ferries. The weather can be glorious (hot sun soaking your body) and the food. Beyond compare.

We haven’t taken our kids by plane yet as we always go by ferry! We went to the vendee in France, and a place nearby Paris then detoured to Disney. Both were brilliant and we went to Spain on the ferry too (Santander then drove across). I love it as you can keep your car with you so no need to hire a different one in the other country or worry about renting car seats etc. My kids love the ferry itself too, especially when there’s cinema and soft play on the longer crossings. We may well go somewhere on the ferry again this summer, I fancy Netherlands as it’s not too far away and seems like loads of interesting places to go

We travelled to Dunkirk, and stayed at the Appart Hôtel Dunkerque. We made the journey to the hotel a part of our holiday, and booked out car on the ferry at the same time we booked the holiday, Apart from the queue to get in the ferry which was quite long, the crossing was faultless, with so much to keep the children entertained, as they could run around, so much nicer than being confined to an airplane seat. My tip would be full your car with petrol for the journey down, charge your tablet for the queues to make it fun, (take a portable charger too to keep it topped up). I packed a bag for the holiday which stayed in the car, and a back for the ferry with drinks snacks and a change of clothes for my little one. Seeing goodbye to Blighty and Bonjour to France from a ferry is an experience not to be missed.